The somewhat complicated rules of the Phillies’ Carpenter Cup Classic for softball have bitten the Mercer County entry often in recent years.

This year, Dave Boehm is trying to ensure that doesn’t happen.

The Princeton High School coach, along with assistants Tim Kalick, formerly the coach at Hightstown, and Lindsey Diamond, the Hamilton head coach, have tapped 17 players in hopes that at least some combination of 14 will be able to attend every game the girls might play.

Their first game is set for 9 a.m., Monday against Suburban One League/Bicentennial, based in Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, at FDR Park in Philadelphia. Mercer will play again at 1 p.m., regardless of the 9 a.m., outcome in the double-elimination event, and they could play at 5 p.m., as well, depending on how the first two games go.

Getting 14 players sounds simple enough, but other commitments, namely club softball, have caused scheduling conflicts and left Mercer short of the tournament-minimum 14 players, even en route to the team’s win in the 2011 event. Seventeen is the maximum number of players a team can have on its roster, but at least 14 must play a minimum of three innings in the field and have one at-bat. No pitcher can throw more than four innings unless the game goes into extras. The idea is to get the players, all coming off their sophomore or junior years, in front of college coaches.

The penalty for having less than 14 players available is one out during the first time through the order for each player under the minimum.

Last year, Mercer was among the last three teams standing but chose to forfeit its final game. Rain entered the forecast, extending the tournament, and the team knew it wouldn’t have enough players for the last day. Instead of giving Delaware South the title via forfeit, Mercer chose not to face the other remaining team, Tri-Cape from South Jersey, allowing that team to face Delaware South in hopes of a competitive final. Delaware South won, 5-0.

Princeton High head coach Dave Boehm will lead the Mercer County team in the Carpenter Cup Classic.Martin Griff/The Times

The players this year come from 12 high schools between the Colonial Valley Conference and the prep ranks, and although only one player from state finalists Ewing or Robbinsville is on the roster, it looks like a competitive group.

The team won’t have a shortage of arms. Killian Kueny, who got the ball to start the NJSIAA Group III Tournament final for Ewing two weeks ago, heads a group of eight pitchers on the roster, most of whom were the No. 1 pitchers for their teams.

Whether Mercer will have enough at the plate isn’t so clear. All 17 players were regulars on their high school programs, of course, but none cracked the senior-heavy Times’ All-Area or All-CVC teams.

But with no senior aces to face on the other CCC squads, perhaps Mercer will break through on offense and give Kueny and the rest of the pitchers a bit of a cushion with which to work. With the roster struggles of previous years fresh in mind, just making sure the team has enough bodies will be a great start.